“They were willing to give him $2 million” - CM Punk receives backing from UFC icon amid criticism over his pay from organization
Former UFC fighter and WWE star CM Punk has received support from Chael Sonnen after facing backlash for his UFC payout.
It all started when former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, during which he accused the UFC and Dana White of underpaying him.
In the video, 'Mighty Mouse' also took a shot at CM Punk, criticising how the WWE star was possibly given a pay-per-view bonus in addition to a hefty base salary for his UFC debut:
"Let's look at CM Punk. This guy comes in and gets a base salary of $500,000. There were also potential pay-per-view bonuses and other financial incentives included in his contract. I had to defend the f**king belt [11] times and I couldn't even get this."
Check out Demetrious Johnson's comments from the 13:43 mark below:
Sonnen came out in Punk's defense and shared that money was not the primary motivation for the WWE star to compete in the UFC.
'The American Gangster' even claimed that Punk could have received $2 million for the fight but agreed to the sum of $750,000:
"He had the courage to [compete in the UFC] and then, out comes the payment and that sent everybody over the edge... So now, you've got a guy with no experience, who has placement on a [main] card and who just made more money. Therefore, he's a jerk, as opposed to understanding that he did not negotiate. As opposed to understanding that they were willing to give him $2 million but they offered $750,000 and he said, 'Yes.' because it wasn't about the money. It was a bucket list... these are all parts of the story that get left out."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments from the 4:05 mark below:
How did CM Punk do in the UFC?
CM Punk's UFC journey was short-lived as the 45-year-old only competed twice in the multi-billion dollar promotion.
His first appearance was against Mickey Gall at UFC 203. The bout ended quickly, with Punk losing via rear-naked choke submission in the opening round.
Punk's second UFC fight was against Mike Jackson at UFC 225. The contest went the 15-minute distance and Jackson was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
The result was later changed to a no contest as 'The Truth' tested positive for marijuana.